By Charlotte Bell, Kate Harrold, Samantha Leason & Sophie Ordidge

MUSIC VIDEO PITCH

TAYLOR SWIFT ‘OUT OF THE WOODS’

It doesn’t have a music video which will allow the one that we make to be original.

We are familiar with the lyrics which allows us to form a narrative around them.

We prefer the pop genre and it is well suited to this genre.

It will be easy for us to find believable actors to play the singer/characters.

WHY WE CHOSE THIS SONG

Our overall vision for the video is to have it split between a narrative and performance. The performance will take place in the woods as this is well suited to the song. We will use both close ups and mid shots in order to showcase the artist and the video will have an anxious mood to demonstrate the message of the song. The narrative will follow the singer and a male character as we see their relationship as the song describes. The song is about “the fragility and breakable nature of some relationships” according to the artist, Taylor Swift. So, we will see their relationship develop from care free to anxious and tense. As the song builds, the singer in the woods will begin running and the video will end with her fi nding a clearing to match the line ‘Are we in the clear yet? Good.”. Dancers will also be featured during the video through insert shots and superimposition with the performance. The video will constantly cut between each of these 3 sections.

OVERALL VISION

Taylor Swift always wears her trademark make-up look. This consists of red lipstick and winged eye liner. She is constantly recognised for wearing this look so we will ensure our singer in the video also wears this look.

Taylor is also known for her natural blonde hair which has been styled in various diff erent ways over the span of her career. It is often curled so we will try and ensure the singer in our video also contributes to this same brand image.

Taylor Swift often wears dresses in both her music videos and real l ife. In ours we will feature a white, fl oaty knee length dress for the dancers and the artist will also wear a dress to represent Taylors feminine style and brand image.

BRAND IMAGE

The theme of being ‘Out of the Woods’ is the main aspect of the song so the setting of the woods for the performance has a strong correlation to the lyrics. A dance studio is going to be used for the shots of the dancer(s) and also is a change of setting for the video. We chose a dance studio as we thought the mirrors could emulate the refl ective message of the song whilst ‘looking’ is also a music video convention. The dancers will also use a quiet country road as this shows a connection between their dance and the singers performance. The shots of dancers will be superimposed over the singer again, reinforcing this idea. The main setting is outdoors and so the change of setting to a dance studio creates more variety in the video. We will also use the interior setting of a house during the narrative in which we see the singer and a male character. This represents their relationship as one that is normal which allows the audience to relate.

LOCATION

The costumes used in the video are going to be genre appropriate as pop videos are known for their use of colour.

The singer will wear similar clothing to Taylor Swift in her music videos, matching her brand image. We have decided that she will wear a fl oaty, white dress and red lipstick. This is reminiscent of Taylor’s own style and it relates to the pop genre as red is a bright colour and white will starkly contrast the dark colours of the woods.

The dancers will also wear white fl oaty dresses and this will be appropriate for the mood and atmosphere of the video as we are trying to achieve an innocent association with the artist.

In the narrative, the singer and male character will wear ordinary clothing as again, just like the setting, this makes them relatable and displays the relationship as one that anyone could experience.

COSTUMES

The theme of nature will be present throughout the video as it is a common feature in the lyrics. Taylor Swift uses this to emulate her feelings. For example, the crowding trees show her growing anxiety whilst the rising sun represents her hope. This is why we decided to set the performance of our video in outdoor locations.

The theme of love is also present throughout this song. Shown through the lyrics, the relationship develops from one that is carefree to one full of anxiety due to the pressure of other people’s judgement. This is another reason why the woods is a suitable location. It is a secluded location where there is no one to judge the relationship. The narrative of the singer and male character will incorporate this theme.

THEMES

THEMES

Woods: The location of the

video

Insert shots of the sun/sun

rise Will be

included

Trees will be a key theme as the artist

will run through the woods and we will see close ups

of trees

This demonstrates the growing anxiety of the

relationship. They metaphorically ‘hit the

brakes’ on the relationship.

This shows the care free attitude when

the relationship begins which grows with anxiety as the

song continues.

Genre conventions used in this video include: Dance routines Close ups of the artist to showcase them Insert shots of relevant concepts (Eg. Nature, paper

aeroplanes) Bright costumes Bold makeup- red lipstick Narrative and performance relate to lyrics of song Reference to looking (Mirrors) Special Eff ects (One aspect of a black and white image will

be shown in colour) Intertextual link to other forms of pop culture (Eg. Props in

house location such as an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ book as in both this and our music video, the woods acts as an escape from reality).

GENRE CONVENTIONS USED

Cinematography- Panning/tilting of the camera to: focus the audiences

attention on the artist, show the expanse of woods and guide the viewer’s eye line with the singer’s.

Close up shots of the artist, actors and dancers.Dolly camera to follow the singer through the woods

during the performance.Long shots to show setting and costume.

Sound-Lip-syncing with lyricsSynchronous and asynchronous sound such as leaves

and trees rustling

TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS USED

Editing- Cutting to the beat of the song Long takes in slow verses to show original care free feeling of

the relationship. Short takes in chorus and bridge to show the growing anxiety. Black and white to highlight the singer and male character in

colour. Slow motion for the dancers and fast motion again to show

growing anxiety.

Mise-en-scene Costume and makeup relevant to the genre (pop)- Bold

makeup and bright clothing High key lighting (Eg. Outdoor setting) Relevant props e.g. a notebook and polaroid camera

TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS USED

Our target audience is females aged 15-19 who are interested in the pop genre.

We plan on appealing to them by using the relevant mise-en-scene to create a video which they would enjoy viewing as the narrative is easy to follow and realistic, and fi nd entertaining due to the pop genre conventions. The dance routine will also entertain our audience, and the video should provide an escape from everyday reality.

We have discovered from our surveys that our target audience expect to see a partial narrative along with a performance.

The artist will wear modern make up and clothing, making the video aesthetically pleasing for the target audience.

WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND HOW DO YOU PLAN ON ATTRACTING AND

APPEALING THEM?